A Flame of Thrones
by Loopy777
Summary: It's Suzuki Week, so I'm spinning a yarn for the lovely couple in an Alternate Universe that will keep them on their toes. A series of vignettes.
1. Duty

**Duty**

As strange as the situation was, the question that immediately leaped to Zuko's mind was probably the most trivial. "She's from _where?_"

"Sunda Island," Uncle Iroh said. "It's one of the smaller islands, one of the 'crumbs' scattered between the main landmass and the Archipelago."

Zuko shook his head, setting his phoenix-tail hair wagging. "I've never heard of it. But never mind that now. Why is she here? Did Mother really send her?"

Iroh gave a small smile, eyebrows raised. "Well, you can always just _ask _her..."

Biting back a growl, Zuko marched through the doors into his suite's main parlor. Uncle remained in the bedroom, but lurked near the portal, no doubt intending to eavesdrop of the whole conversation. Zuko hardly cared. The Fire Prince focused on the girl still standing at attention in the room's center. She wore red robes reminiscent of a Sage, but the chest armor, and sword at her side, evoked the look of a non-Bender soldier in the Fire Army. She seemed too young, however, to enlist, at best being a year or so older than Azula. Of course, Zuko's little sister cultivated a more mature demeanor. This girl seemed more focused on her professionalism. She didn't move as Zuko approached her, but her eyes tracked him.

Zuko stopped several feet away from her, as though he was addressing a servant. "Explain to me why you're here. Be as detailed as possible. The report you gave my uncle was far from satisfactory."

The girl bowed. "I am Suki of Sunda, a member of the Roku Warriors. It was _requested _that our Order dispatch a suitable member to your presence. I was given the honor of volunteering."

Zuko frowned. This still didn't make any sense to him. "How does my mother fit into this?"

The girl's face was impassive, but she was no Mai. Her lip quirked as she took a moment too long to respond. "My understanding is that the Queen suggested my mission to the Order. I brought a scroll that should explain things. I didn't read it, it was given to me by..."

Zuko pinched the bridge of his nose and suppressed a sigh. It was always games when his mother and father battled for influence. He couldn't even get mad at them for it, because it was the way of the Fire Nation, and always (as far as he could tell) for his benefit, but the politics surrounding the interactions of the Fire Lord and his Outer Queen were much more up Azula's ally, with all the politics and skullduggery.

He turned back to Suki and said, "That gives me even less incentive to trust you. Do you even know what you stumbled into?"

"Not entirely, but the scroll probably-"

"Why did Uncle even let you in here with weapons?" Zuko began pacing, barely conscious of the act, but it made him feel a little better. It was certainly better than snorting smoke. "In fact, I should call the guards in here and have them-"

Suki stomped right over to him and shoved a scroll in his face. "Read it," she said evenly. A moment later, she added, "Your highness."

Zuko snatched the scroll quickly, and only belatedly realized that he should be worried that it was covered in some kind of poison. Suki was wearing gloves, after all. Zuko still wasn't sure if there was such a thing as a poison coating that could be applied to paper, but Azula liked to taunt him with the idea. Maybe she just wanted to keep him from reading his mail.

Zuko _hated _the politics of his family.

Fed up with the whole thing, Zuko unrolled the scroll and read.

'Dearest Zuko,

'I miss you more than anything. As my Chosen, I make offerings to the Spirits that you survive your Father's court and triumph over your sister's machinations. As my son, I hope every day for your health and happiness. You and Azula both have my undying love.

'I have become aware of an important matter. Your sister has arranged for her friends- Mai and Ty Lee- to receive advanced training in their chosen fighting arts. Both have always been talented, in their own ways, but this indicates their real importance to your sister's plans. I know you have never liked spending much time with others your age, and I resisted the urge to hire bodyguards who could masquerade as social acquaintances. But, my dear, you still need allies who can protect you.

'I took the liberty of finding you a friend.

'The Roku Warriors are an Order born of Krakatau Island, where Avatar Roku once made his home. He perished there, battling a volcano long enough for the residents to all escape safely. When the new Avatar failed to appear, the Krakatau survivors felt an obligation to continue their savior's legacy of selfless action, so they formed the Order to right wrongs and protect the weak throughout the Fire Nation. They value Honor every bit as much as I know you do, and they are very skilled.

'I asked for a member about your age, of certain characteristics that I think will help you form a friendship.

'Please be nice.

'Your Proud Mother,

'The Outer Queen,

'Ursa'

Zuko looked back up at Suki. His assigned friend. Certainly, she had a stubborn look to her that would probably serve her well in the job. "This says you're to act as my friend and bodyguard."

Suki nodded. "That was my impression."

"You left your home to come spend all your time with an incompetent prince who his own mother thinks is in over his head."

Suki kept a smile off her face, but her cheeks still scrunched in subtle amusement. "Well, you can't be all _that_ bad."

"What about your family? What do they think of this?"

Her face went slack again. "The Order is the only family I have."

Zuko sighed, moved the nearest sofa, and dropped into it. "I don't know about this at all."

"Permission to sit down, your highness?"

"Sure."

Suki eased down right next to him, and smiled at him for the first time. "I don't know about this, either," she said. "But I'm Honor-bound to be the best friend you ever had. I, for one, intend to make the best of it."

"And she's very pretty, too!" Uncle called from the bedroom.

Zuko spun in his seat and snarled, "Thank you for making this _even more awkward_! Argh!" This time, smoke did shoot out of his nostrils.

Suki laughed.

* * *

The Roku Warrior had been in the Capital for a day by the time Azula got the full story. "It seems Mother saw fit to give Zuko his own young dangerous lady." She gave a single sharp laugh that echoed in the little garden. "Perhaps she's trying to make a new princess while she's at it. We'll have to take care of that, won't we, girls?"

"Ooh," Ty Lee sighed, "I hope we can be all be friends even though we might have to fight and eventually try to assassinate each other. I hate it when everyone takes all this personally."

Mai, of course, said nothing. Neither of the other girls noticed that her thrown knives were slightly off target for the rest of the day.

**TO BE CONTINUED...  
**


	2. Peasant & Noble

**Peasant & Noble**

When she first arrived in the Capital, and saw what Prince Zuko's life was like, Suki made one promise to herself, and vowed that it would not be broken under any circumstances.

_She would never let herself even consider the idea that she couldn't handle it._

Even if that meant dressing up and going to a fancy party.

It's not that Suki was antisocial, or 'stubbornly independent' in a way that meant she couldn't deal with polite society. She was actually quite capable of enjoying the company of strangers, and had no problem learning manners that only rich people cared about. Zuko, though, wasn't making it sound like a simple night of dancing and boring talk.

"Oh, and don't eat anything," he said as they approached the main ballroom.

"Why, is it impolite for peasants to eat in front of nobles?"

He threw her a confused look. "No. That's- that's a strange idea. It's just that the food might be poisoned. The idea is that the really important people are expected to have lot of friends and allies, and the lowest ranking of them are supposed to eat first and take the biggest risk. It goes in order, all the way up to the leader of the group, until enough dishes have been tested that the leader doesn't need to worry about being poisoned. The less connected you are, the less you can explore the menu, and the more risk you have to accept. I don't usually eat at these things, but you probably figured that out already. And there's always a poisoning."

Suki froze in her tracks. After a few moments, her eyes started to burn and water, and she realized she had stopped blinking. "You're joking."

Zuko frowned. "I tried joking, once," he said. "It didn't really work out."

Ten minutes later, they joined the main gathering. A century ago, the Fire Nation's Royal Palace had resembled a temple more than a den of luxury, but a 'disagreement' between Avatar Roku and his old friend, Fire Lord Sozin, about some seized Earth Kingdom territory had resulted in a fair amount of structural damage. During the rebuilding, Sozin decided to turn his life around, and dedicated himself to more subtle methods of conquest. The first major sign of this was a palace rebuilt to be _seen _and admired, with the centerpiece being a massive ballroom that could host the entire Capital City. It had proved to be a much more efficient path, eventually leading to the rise of a Fire Nation 'Outer Queen' over the Earth Kingdom.

Of course, Suki well knew that shmoozing and politics only went so far in the Fire Nation, even if no one could prove anything about what happened to the Air Nomads. The Roku Warrior had a knife hidden in each of her boots, and a pair of nunchaku tied to each forearm within her sleeves.

Gazing around at all the attendees, Suki couldn't help but wonder if she should have just brought some blasting jelly. "So, how many of these people will be testing the food for your sister?"

Zuko sighed. He stayed pressed up against her side as they navigated the crowd, and whispered just loud enough for her to fear. "For all I know, the whole room could be on her team. She's always been more popular with both the nobles and the military commanders. I've never really understood. I tried reviewing our operations against the Water Tribes, and even wrote some letters about ways I found to keep our troopers safer without losing any strategic advantages, but they just seemed to get offended. One even walked away from me when I tried to start a conversation. I'm sure he sent the assassin who attacked me that night." He gave a small laugh. "That's pretty much how everything I do ends. If it weren't for Uncle-"

"All right, just stop it."

"What?"

Suki kept her glare on the Prince, but wasn't unaware of all the people around them and the way their attention had been peaked by the sharpness of her tone. Stupid. She should have known better than to speak like that. Forcing her anger down, she turned a fake smile on Zuko and leaned forward in something resembling a playful manner. "We can worry about talking to people later. Let's go dance first! I've been looking forward to this for a week!"

Zuko blinked once. Twice. Three four five in rapid success. "O- kay," he managed. "This way." He led Suki to the far side of the ballroom, where a space had been cleared in front of the musicians. Couples were enjoying an upbeat number, and one cluster of five young men had formed a dancing circle that was keeping them all laughing. "Do you know this one? If not, I can-"

Suki grabbed his hands, and planted them on her hips. Zuko's face immediately went bright red. "Yes," she said as she put her arms around his shoulders and took the proper dance. "I'm a girl. I know we haven't been friends that long, but it's something you'll need to get used to, quickly. But keep the hands on the hips. A little higher is okay, but lower is not."

Zuko nodded like he was taking a Firebending lesson from his uncle. Together, they flicked themselves into the motion of the dance, whirling across the dance floor. As they moved, Suki leaned forward so that their faces were uncomfortably close. "I know you have it hard," she whispered, "but you _cannot_ let your failures get the best of you. The only thing you can do is keep _trying_."

His own answer came back as a soft growl that was almost lost in the music. "I know that! I wouldn't be alive today if I had it in me to give up."

She met his gaze, and rubbed a hand against the back of his neck in a soothing gesture. "I believe you. A weak person would have never written those letters." Letters that showed he was looking out for the common soldier. Very intriguing. "But there's enough trouble out there for you, without testing yourself with your own negativity. Don't focus on what didn't work. Focus on what you're going to do next, and how you can build on the successes that you've had."

He gave a little snort. "So you're just going to march into my life and fix it with a new perspective and some encouraging words?"

"No." The hand that had been rubbing him now flicked him. "That's what we're going to do for _each other_. I'm expecting that you'll have to give me this same talk in about a month. I promise you that I'll try to keep you gazing towards the sun. Can you do the same for me?"

His hands might have shifted a little lower, but then again, maybe not. "All right," he said. "But let's still avoid the buffet table."

"I wasn't hungry, anyway."

* * *

People didn't often say good things about Prince Zuko, but that night, they acknowledged his taste in friends. The girl and he looked like a natural fit, standing next to each other. Some of the smarter observers wondered if it went beyond a superficial level.

******TO BE CONTINUED...**


	3. Metal

**Suzuki Week - Metal**

Zuko swore that, if he got out of this, he was going to give up his life as a prince, leave the Fire Nation, and go join one of the Air Nomad revivalist movements. Even if it meant shaving his head and giving up meat. Certainly, the pacifism stuff would be a nice change of pace.

It had to be better than dealing with running fights across the city rooftops.

Zuko scowled behind his mask, and swung his dao blades up and out to deflect another flying razor disc. Knowing the fighting patterns of his assailant fairly well, he used the momentum to fling his body into butterfly-kick leap that dodged a follow-up wave of stilettos. His feet were no sooner back on the ground- well, the roof he was standing on- then he was jumping again, grabbing the edge of the roof as he passed over it to ease himself onto the curving eave.

Zuko slid down and out into the night, chased by escaping tiles.

Of course, that wasn't the only thing chasing him. No sooner had he landed in the darkened alley than Ty Lee dropped down right in front of him. "You shouldn't take things that don't belong to you," she said with a critical tone as she settled into a fighting stance that favored her typical arrow fists. "We worked really hard on that stuff, and I don't think it's fair at all for you to just steal it. Do you work for Zuko? Tell him he's a meanie, too."

Thankfully, Zuko didn't have to say anything beneath the demonic visage of his opera mask. He just held up his swords and motioned the acrobat in.

Then a flicker of motion triggered his reflexes, and he hopped backwards just int time to avoid a knife sailing down from above. It landed right between his feet.

Mai was still in pursuit.

Given the choice between the two dangerous ladies, Zuko would rather avoid Mai and her long-range harassment. Ignoring Ty Lee, he broke into a sprint that would hopefully take him out of the knife-thrower's view. It didn't take long for him to realize just how significant a mistake that was.

Ty Lee came running alongside Zuko _on the alley wall_, surrendering to gravity only when she had pulled ahead of him. As she dropped, she landed a punch just inward of Zuko's shoulder.

Pain exploded out from that point, flowing quickly along every nerve in his body, spastically tightening muscles as it went. The end result was Zuko biting his tongue and collapsing in a tangled heap.

Zuko never cursed, but the only thought that would spring to mind was the word 'ashes' repeating over and over again.

It probably would have gotten worse from there if an armored warrior with a painted face peaking from beneath the flared helmet hadn't chosen that moment to enter the alley. She- and it was definitely a girl, as obscuring as the armor and bright berserker painting was- immediately threw herself at Ty Lee, swinging the swords in her hands. Both blades were the thin, curved style, one a full katana in length and the other a smaller kodachi held in the off hand.

Zuko stopped paying attention to the fighting women beside him, and focused on getting back on his feet. He knew what his rescuer looked like, anyway. The armor was an older set, an intimidating styling that mixed reds and blacks, and boasted patches of unnecessary spikes. The Fire Nation had adopted it when it began selling its troops as mercenary and security supplements in the Earth Kingdom, but since taking control of the barbarian lands, it had reverted to a more practical design.

He also knew well how the newcomer fought. He had spent enough hours sparring with her.

The pain began to recede as Zuko used the breathing exercises that his uncle had taught him, sending the warmth of the Inner Fire into his muscles. He pulled himself up to his feet, and looked around for his swords.

That's when the armored girl stumbled into him. Zuko bit back a sound as the collision nearly sent him back to the ground, but he kept his head and managed to avoid giving away his identity.

He also managed something else.

Deciding that it was far past time to get out of there, Zuko dashed off again, leaving the dueling women to their fun.

Thanks to his armored rescuer, he was able to get enough of a head start to lose his pursuers. Ty Lee didn't catch up to him until after he ditched his disguise and was returning to the palace. When he denied her accusations, she actually insisted on searching him, but no bundles of important papers were found on his person. She left him to return home in peace.

When Zuko got back to his suite, he found his armored rescuer lounging on the main room's couch. "That was quick," he said with a growing smile.

Suki grinned back at him. "Quicker than you think. I placed the papers on your father's desk. When he gets to his office tomorrow, he should be pretty surprised to find out what Azula has been doing behind his back."

Zuko could only blink at her. She had survived a fight with Mai and Ty Lee, snuck into the _Fire Lord's personal office_, and infiltrated his own rooms in the palace in the time it took him to get back home? Shaking his head in admiration, he said, "And here I thought I'd have to tell you about stuffing the papers under your armor when you fell on me. Azula doesn't know what she's missing with a Roku Warrior." He sat down beside her, an idea coming to him.

"Well," Suki teased, "it's a good thing someone in your family pays attention. Too bad it had to be your mother, but at least you're an obedient son and make good use of her gift."

"Yeah," he said, feeling a little awkward. How to put this next part into words? "But, I... well, you're not just a gift to me. You've been a big help, and I can't imagine a better friend. Without you..."

"Don't sell yourself short. We all need a little help. Your uncle has done just as much as I have, only in different ways. And you've only gotten better at this type of thing. It was your troop contacts who let us know about the Avatar before Azula."

Zuko nodded, trying not to think about that right now. The Avatar's return was proving to a major danger to his mother's power base, and it was something that would eventually have to be addressed, but he had a higher priority this night. "But what I'm trying to say is... you're very important to me. More than as an ally. More... more than as a friend."

"...Zuko?"

He met her questioning eyes. "Please don't be mad about this." Then he leaned forward and kissed her.

An aeon later, their lips separated. "Mad?" she breathed. "Zuko, you... oh, never mind." This time, she initiated the kiss.

They came apart one more time. "I need to get out of this armor and face paint," Suki said.

"I completely agree."

* * *

Much later, Suki finally returned to her own room. The open windows showed that the sky was not quite black, but neither had the sun yet risen. Shadows dominated the room, but Suki walked without hesitation. Only part of that was her familiarity with the place, after all the time she had lived there. A significant portion of her attention was also given to happily reviewing her immediate memories.

She didn't notice at all when one of the shadows stood up, leaned over to Suki, and caressed her with a silver talon.

Startled, the Roku Warrior spun in place to find Mai behind her, holding a long knife. The other girl gave one of her signature sighs, and said, "You're not the only one who's good at sneaking. And just so you know- Azula didn't order this. This is my gift to you. Congratulations, or something."

Then Mai gracefully turned and walked out of the room, completely without hurry. By the time she was out the door, Suki was on the ground, spasming, sweat breaking out on her forehead.

******TO BE CONTINUED...**


	4. Adulthood

**Suzuki Week - Adulthood**

Suki twitched and moaned on the couch, and Zuko was once again struck by the desire to run over and put his arms around her. He controlled himself, though only because he was already deep into a Self-Mastery breathing exercise that he was also using to keep from running off and wishing Azula a good morning with a Dragon Punch to the face.

Uncle Iroh put a hand to Suki's forehead, and sighed. He quickly turned began sorting through his tray of herb jars. "Heat some water, Prince Zuko. I recognize these symptoms. Wu Tou is an old poison, used both on arrowheads and snuck into foods. It is a versatile concoction, and can be applied to all manner of weapons. For example, a knife." He pointed at the long slice along Suki's left arm. "I have heard Wu Tou referred to as 'The Queen of Poisons' for its popularity and usefulness."

"The _Queen_?" Zuko repeated, holding a full teapot in his warming hands.

Uncle nodded. "Here, give me the pot. We must administer this medicine quickly. This mixture is often used to treat heart troubles, among other illnesses. It will not completely cure the poisoning, but it will do some good against it, and also help with the symptoms."

Iroh poured some of the tea into a small cup, and carefully fed it to the comatose Suki. Zuko watched with interest, but even after Uncle finished the dosing, there didn't seem to be any change in her condition. "How long will it take?"

Iroh turned to face Zuko, his face sad and grave. "Prince Zuko, you must understand, this is a dire situation. We can help, and take care of Suki, but her fate is not in our hands. I will use a special Qi-manipulating technique to slow her body's deterioration (I will need to borrow some candles for that, thank you), but she will need time to fight the poison. If she can. And we don't know who did this to her, correct? You didn't see anyone in her room when you found her? It might be a good idea to get her out of the Capital."

Zuko ground his teeth in frustration. "She had just left, and I found her alone. If she hadn't forgotten her armor..." he trailed off as his mind raced. "But I don't need proof to know who did this."

"Prince Zuko, wait!"

Zuko was out the door before Iroh had finished calling to him, trusting his Uncle to save the woman he loved.

* * *

The guards dragged him to the Fire Lord.

"Really, Prince Zuko, assaulting your sister right in the middle of the palace? Before breakfast?" Ozai sighed. "And here I thought you had finally learned subtlety over the last year. I presume I have your agents to thank for this information on Azula's dealings?"

Zuko didn't trust himself to speak. Torn between a show of obedience and a resentful growl, he eventually decided that it couldn't hurt to stay on his father's good side. Suki's fate might depend on the Fire Lord's whim. Zuko dropped to a formal bow.

Fire Lord Ozai acknowledged it with a nod. "Let us get to the heart of the flame, then. The servants saw you carrying your Companion to your rooms. Is she still alive?"

Zuko nodded, exhaling a wisp of smoke.

Behind the wall of flames, the Fire Lord was perfectly still, but his voice was lower when he asked, "And you believe your sister is behind it?"

"Who else?" Zuko growled.

Ozai was silent for a moment after that. "It's strangely brazen of her, especially if she knew what was stolen from her and that it would be in my hands by now. Still, you have been gaining on her, this last year, and true worth is what the Game is meant to prove."

Zuko stayed silent. As far as he was concerned, the whys and wherefores could wait until after he had Azula in front of him and ready to fight.

"I suppose we can be of use to each other," the Fire Lord continued. He stood up, and a motion of his hands extinguished the wall of flames in front of his throne. Ozai descended the staircase, his elaborate robes undisturbed by the movement. "Prince Zuko, I have news that neither you nor your sister have yet been allowed to receive. The Outer Queen has disappeared. The Avatar Airbender's movement rose up against her in Ba Sing Se, and she lacked the strength to hold her throne. She escaped the rebels, but hasn't been heard from since."

"Mother..." Zuko felt his heart start hammering again, just like when he found Suki seizing on the floor. He knew that the Avatar had become a top priority, but he never knew there was this much danger. How could the Fire Nation, for all its subtle strength both at home and abroad, be losing against mere raw bending power? "What can we do?"

Ozai stepped down to the floor of the throne room, and his face was visible in the light for the first time. He was grinning with a predator's strength. "We can use your allies in the military, your reputation amongst the soldiers throughout the Earth Kingdom, to seize the Outer Queen's power base. If we don't, our entire international force can fragment, fall to petty warlords and die fighting Earthbender rebels." The Fire Lord's hand came up into twin fists. "But if we reestablish control now, we can make the Throne of Flames more powerful than ever before, strengthen the home island, and prepare to strike back at the Avatar."

His father leaned down, placed a hand on Zuko's shoulder, and said in a quiet tone, "The Outer Queen was your sponsor, and for all we know, she might be dead. No one will strike back if you are assassinated. But Azula can't help me get what I want. Her power is all here in the Fire Nation, amongst the generals whose influence is dependent on me. Agree to this, and I will make you _my_ Chosen. Without a sponsor, no one will care if anyone assassinates _her_, especially if it's an honorable act of revenge by another member of the Royal Family."

Ozai stood once again, and turned back towards his throne. Zuko could no longer see his face. "However, you'll have to find new Companions. My brother has ever favored the Outer Queen after I won the throne in our Game, especially after Lu Ten's drowning. And your mother handpicked your Roku Warrior. If she survives the poisoning, who knows what she'll do once we make our move?"

Zuko blanched. He couldn't feel his Inner Fire within him, and with that lack, the throne room was colder than he ever thought it could be.

* * *

Azula smiled as Ty Lee entered her room. "Ah, good morning, Ty. Thank you for joining me. Father canceled our regular breakfast together, and Zuzu is in a rotten mood for _some reason_, so I thought it would be nice for us to share a meal." She toyed with her new knife as she spoke.

Ty Lee bounced over to the laden table, saying, "Ooh, that sounds great! Last night was so crazy and upsetting, I'm glad we have a chance to make a new beginning today. By the way, where's Mai? Is she coming?"

Azula set the knife down, carefully, so that she didn't touch the blade. As soon as it left her grasp, a servant hurried over to take it for disposal. "Ty, that's something we need to talk about."

Azula waited for her last Companion to sit down, and then said as sympathetically as she could manage, "Mai won't be with us anymore."

******TO BE CONTINUED...**


	5. Avatar

**Suzuki Week - Avatar**

Avatar Aang saw the two figures coming over the hill, and hopped over to meet them. Some of his friends were worried about them, especially Katara, _especially_ since they arrived with a bounty hunter riding a giant shirshu, but Aang wasn't concerned. He liked to think of himself as a good judge of character, and the way this pair looked, the way they _walked_, proclaimed their earnestness to him.

He wanted to give these people a chance.

Still, he couldn't be too eager. People liked the Avatar to have a certain presence to him, and everyone was a lot more hung up on appearances than they were a hundred years ago. He posed like a Guru Monk, standing tall, holding his staff resolutely at his side.

Time to make new friends.

* * *

It had been a long journey, but they were finally here. Suki wanted to smile with relief, but knew that just wasn't possible. She leaned against Zuko, willing her support over to him.

The Fire Prince stared at the boy before them. "Um, we were supposed to see the Avatar Airbender? Can you take us to him?"

The boy smiled up at Zuko, and said, "I'm the Avatar."

"You mean," Zuko ventured, "you're an Air Nomad. Or a Neo-Nomad, or something. We need to talk to the _Avatar_."

The boy reached a hand behind his head, rubbing the bald, tattooed skin. "_Actually_, I _am_vthe Avatar. My name is Aang. Nice to meet you!"

Zuko was silent for a long time, and Suki was almost compelled to try to speak in his place, but the Prince recovered in time. He bowed formally, his hands brought together in the Flame of Respect. "Avatar Aang. I am Zuko of the Fire Nation, son of Fire Lord Ozai and Outer Queen Ursa, formerly a Prince of the Fire Nation. I bring you greetings, and ask sanctuary of you for myself and my companion."

"Oh. Okay."

Zuko stared again. "That's a yes?"

"That's a yes."

"Just like that?"

"Sure, why not?"

Zuko hesitated, then bowed again. "Thank you."

"No problem. So, who's your friend here?"

Zuko's eyes flared, and Suki knew he was about to get defensive. She silenced him with a look, something she'd gotten good at since her recovery. She turned to the Avatar, gave him a shaky bow of her own, and spoke, enunciating each word carefully so that it would be understandable. "I... am... Su- Su... ki... Thaaaank... you..."

His eyes widened when he heard her try to talk, but she tried to soften the surprise with a smile- or rather, half of one. She had survived the poisoning, escaped the lethal cage that was the Fire Nation's capital, and kept Zuko by her side through her long recovery. She had no complaints.

"Well, I'm glad to help," Aang finally replied. "Really, I'm just happy that someone from the Fire Nation wants to pitch in, here. I mean, everyone has been polite enough, but you guys have been kind of mean. What I saw in Ba Sing Se..."

Zuko said nothing. He had heard enough about his mother's local policies.

"Anyway, I'm sure we can work together to find a way to fix things. Both in the Earth Kingdom and the Water Tribes. I mean, I know it will take a while, the way everything is so twisted together, but I've been asleep for a hundred years, so I'm rested up for a good long run." The Avatar grinned up at them, and Suki couldn't help but try to smile in return. He was naive, but Zuko would help. They both understood, now, the futility of Games.

Zuko, though, still looked a bit unsettled by the Avatar. As he helped her walk with the boy, who was promising to introduce them to his friends, Suki raised a shaky hand and poked him in the side. When she caught his attention, she said, "L- loooove... you..."

He sighed, smile, and leaned his head against hers. "I love you, too."

**END**


End file.
